My last two handspun, hand knit projects were stranded knit hats. I used a gorgeous natural dark brown for the MC (main colour) and a handpainted braid from Crafty JAKS in their “Sea Stars” colourway for the CC (contrast colour). I choose Sea Stars because to me the colours and the progression of colours were perfect.
The pattern for these hats is “Flicker & Flame” by Andrea Mowry.
Because I wouldn’t be colour blending or reorganizing the colours, all the top needed was a bit of pre-drafting. This meant I could use a Lock-Pop to prepare the fibre. The Lock-Pop’s job in this instance would be to secure the fibre while I used a diz to pre-draft the top. Using the Lock-Pop helps me to pre-draft/attenuate the fibre quicker and results in a more consistent fibre prep than when I use my hands alone.
Many spinners believe you don’t need to pre-draft top. And they are absolutely right, you don’t need to. But if you do, your yarn will be lighter, less compact and have more yardage. Side note: I helped with jurying for our guild sale last weekend and I could tell just by picking up a skein of yarn, a pair of mitts, or a hat when the spinner had not pre-drafted the fibre. It makes that much of a difference to the hand of the yarn.
LOCK POP SET UP
I have a very small area in my studio for fibre prep. For the hats pictured here I first split the top into two lengthwise; one for each singles. To contain the top as it works its way to the Lock-Pop I place it in a tall vase.
Here you can see the fibre flowing from the vase across to the Lock-Pop where the fibre is secured in the teeth. The fibre is dizzed from the fringe of fibre extending beyond the Lock-Pop. As the fringe of fibre becomes exhausted, I use my hands to lift the fibre up off the teeth, pull more fibre from the vase and resecure in the teeth.
As I diz the fibre from the Lock-Pop it is loaded into a bowl.
The last part dizzed, is attached a distaff which I dress/load for spinning. My distaff can easily hold 50 grams of dizzed fibre. Once I have the distaff loaded I will stand it upright in a heavyweight vase or lay it across my lap (with a lapcloth between the distaff and my lap). It all depends on how much fibre is loaded onto the distaff. I spin larger quantities with the distaff protruding from the vase and small quanitities with the distaff laying on my lap.
I will post how I dress a distaff with dizzed roving in a few weeks time. Cheers!
Did You order your lock pop from Clemes?
Yes, it is a Clemes & Clemes Lock-Pop. I bought it when they first came out and use it for opening up locks and for attenuating/pre-drafting top.